Syria, Iran on agenda of GCC-EU meeting 

(MENAFN - Arab News) The worsening crisis in Syria will top the agenda of the foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg. Ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union are meeting today.

The ministerial meeting, which will also focus on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern, including Iran and Egypt, will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and EU high representative Catherine Ashton,

"The heightening crisis in Syria, the Iranian nuclear program and the situation in Egypt are among several topics on the agenda for the ministerial meeting," said Ahmed Al-Kabi, a spokesman of the GCC General Secretariat.


The meeting comes at a time when Turkey has blasted Syria for shooting and downing its military jet. The envoys from NATO member states are scheduled to meet on Tuesday following Turkey's request for consultations over the downing of its jet.

Turkey, in fact, raised the stakes in the growing crisis over the downed military aircraft, accusing Syria of "shooting its jet over international waters without warning and declaring that it would formally consult with its allies in the NATO on how to respond."

Referring to the heightening Syrian crisis, Al-Kabi pointed out that the ministers would discuss how to protect civilians in Syria, help Syrian rebels and stop the systematic genocide. The two blocs - GCC and EU - will also discuss the dimension of the bilateral cooperation, said the GCC spokesman.

There have also been reports that some Gulf states and Turkey are working on a proposal on how to aid the rebels and how to pay salaries to the rebel Free Syrian Army.

About the other subjects to be discussed by the GCC and EU foreign ministers, a GCC statement said that Iran would be taken up for discussion.

The GCC foreign ministers would like to know about the results of the recent negotiations held in Moscow between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, added the statement. The long-awaited plan for a GCC-EU free trade agreement is also on the agenda.
On the question of Egypt, the foreign ministers will debate the latest developments and discuss the economic challenges faced by Cairo.

The EU on its part may discuss its relations with Pakistan following the visit of EU high representative to that country on June 5. The EU foreign ministers will hold their own meeting before they meet the GCC ministers today.

The EU ministers will also discuss the latest developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.